Shin Gambira, the leader of the Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks, was taken from a monastery in the commercial capital Yangon at 2 a.m. (1930 GMT Thursday) by city authorities and officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the dissident monk told Reuters.
"When I asked (the authorities) why Shin Gambira was taken, they said: 'just for questioning. He will be sent back soon'," the monk, who goes by the name Issariya, said, adding he did not know of his friend's whereabouts.
His detention will be closely watched by Western governments, which have welcomed the release of an estimated 650 political prisoners in four amnesties since May last year amid signs the military government is easing its grip.
In Washington, the State Department said it was troubled by Shin Gambira's detention, called for his immediate release and urged Myanmar to respect the civil rights of its citizens. The United States is monitoring the country closely before deciding whether to lift a range of economic sanctions.
"Given the Burmese government's stated commitment to reform and democratisation, we call on Burmese authorities to protect the fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, including all of those recently released from detention," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.
Shin Gambira, 33, was one of the leaders of the pro-democracy "Saffron Revolution" during which monks led protests against the military junta that ruled the former Burma for 49 years until handing power to a reform-minded, nominally civilian government in March last year.
At least 31 people were killed during the uprising that was crushed by security forces. Hundreds were beaten and arrested during protests initially sparked by a public outcry over cooking gas price rises.
The crackdown led to the imposition of additional Western sanctions, which are being reviewed by the United States and the European Union in response to the reforms.
Shin Gambira was sentenced to 68 years in prison for his role in the protests but was released in a mass amnesty of political prisoners on Jan 13. In an interview last month, he said he had endured beatings, solitary confinement and sleep deprivation.
Several associates of Shin Gambira told Reuters they suspected he was suffering from mental problems because of his ill treatment and interrogation in prison.
Issariya said he suspected the monk was detained for entering a monastery that had been sealed off by the authorities. "They were unarmed and they treated him with respect under my eye, but I just don't know what will happen later," he added.
An official at the Ministry of Religious Affairs could not confirm Shin Gambira had been taken away and said the issue was not the ministry's responsibility. — Reuters
